Deadspin: No. 1 Miami survives back-and-forth battle with North Carolina after late onside-kick drama

Miami pulls ahead late

Miami trailed 28-24 early in the fourth quarter after North Carolina finished a 16-play, 75-yard drive with Demon June’s 1-yard touchdown run. The Tar Heels had spent 8 1/2 minutes on the possession.

Mark Fletcher Jr. put Miami back in front, 31-28, with a 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 with 7:49 remaining. After Marquise Lightfoot forced a strip sack of Billy Edwards Jr., Miami drove 37 yards for another touchdown.

Malachi Toney caught a 9-yard scoring pass with 2:33 left, giving Miami its first double-digit lead. Edwards then connected with Trech Kekahuna for a 15-yard touchdown with 1:38 remaining, but Miami ran out the clock.

Tar Heels answer throughout

North Carolina opened the second half with a touchdown drive, capped by Edwards’ 16-yard pass to Jordan Shipp. Fletcher answered with a 2-yard touchdown run, restoring Miami’s lead at 24-21.

The teams traded scoring plays in the first half. Mensah opened with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Toney, and Edwards tied the game with an 8-yard pass to Jelani Thurman.

Mensah later found Fletcher for a 31-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Edwards responded with another 8-yard touchdown pass to Thurman, and Jake Weinberg’s 25-yard field goal put Miami ahead 17-14 at halftime.

Quarterbacks and records

Mensah completed 22 of 29 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. The Hurricanes improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Edwards completed 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. North Carolina fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

The Tar Heels were seeking their first win over a No. 1 team in 12 opportunities. After their late touchdown, they recovered two onside kicks, but committed a penalty on each play.